Though the Target news Web site urges visitors to "connect with what's new," the mega retailer is apparently slow to embrace an emerging technology known as "blogs."

A woman who runs a marketing blog contacted Target's public affairs office recently to complain about what she considered to be an overly provocative advertising campaign (above). Rather than explaining the company's position on the campaign--which featured a girl lying spread-eagle on the Target bulls-eye logo--or even issuing a standard "no comment," Target told the woman that the company did not communicate with bloggers.

"We do not work with bloggers currently," a Target spokeswoman told The New York Times when it contacted the company for comment. Target is "reviewing the policy and may adjust it," she said, but no promises.

I imagine that Target's PR department gets a lot of requests. But why does a company with more than 1,500 stores across the country, a number of celebrity design partnerships, and a Times Square advertising budget have only a "small public relations team" that cannot handle blogger requests, as the spokeswoman told the NYT?

If the spokeswoman had the time to respond with the "We don't talk to bloggers" e-mail, why couldn't she have instead just typed, "The ad is depicting a fully clothed girl making a snow angel, and is not intended to be sexually suggestive"? The blogger would have had her comment, and Target would have avoided the wrath of the blogosphere, some of whom I presume are Target shoppers.

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University...
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